According to court documents, mall owner OPB Realty (Halifax Center) Inc. sued Body Shop Canada and Dawn Carson Enterprises after an audit found that rents paid by the shop between 1999 and 2008 were based on under-reported gross revenue.

Body Shop Canada settled the suit in 2008 for $156,232, terminated the sub-franchise agreement and sued Dawn Carson Enterprises for $171,028 on the sublease and Dawn Carson as guarantor.

In his decision, Moir rejected Carson’s position that the understated revenues resulted from innocent error.

“The position is not credible,” the judge said. “Calculation of gross revenue in a retail shop is not an esoteric exercise.

“She caused rents to go unpaid to the Halifax Shopping Centre landlord by understating revenues month in and month out, year in and year out.”